Cardiac Surgery

Minimally Invasive Surgery

A leader in innovative techniques

Tufts Medical Center’s cardiac surgeons are leaders in the field of minimally invasive heart surgery. While standard open-heart surgery often requires cracking the breastbone (sternotomy) and exposing the heart, minimally invasive approaches give our surgeons access through small incisions. By using this technique, the surgeons are able to operate between the ribs and avoid sternotomy.

Heart valve surgery

Heart valves open and close to direct the flow of blood in one direction through the chambers of the heart. When these valves can’t open or close completely, it can lead to valve disease including valvular stenosis (trouble closing completely, which causes the heart to have to work harder to pump blood through the valve) or regurgitation (the valve does not close all the way, allowing blood to leak backward in the wrong direction).

Our cardiac surgeons are part of the Valvular and Strutural Heart Health Center at Tufts Medical Center, which is dedicated to diagnosing and treating valvular diseases using a range of techniques including valve repair and replacement. In particular, our heart surgeons specialize in:

Trans-catheter aortic valve replacement: We are currently using both transfemoral and transapical approaches to insert an artificial valve in the aortic position.

Mini-thoracotomy: This approach involves a 2-inch incision between the ribs to provide access to the valve without opening the chest.

Hemi-sternotomy: A partial incision of the breast bone which allows access to the aortic valve without having to open the chest.

Arrhythmia Surgery

As part of the New England Cardiac Arrhythmia Center at Tufts Medical Center, our cardiac surgeons treat the range of abnormal heart rhythms. Along with the use of antiarrhythmic drugs, ICDs, pacemakers and ablation techniques, our surgeons offer the Maze procedure. During this procedure, the surgeon makes a series of incisions in the upper half of the heart. When the incisions heal, they form scars that help guide the electrical impulses of the heart.